


Winter

by gegenmeinenwillen



Category: Original Work
Genre: 1940s, 1942, 1943, Alcohol, Angst, Bittersweet Ending, Drama, Drama & Romance, F/M, Forbidden Love, German officers, Hurt/Comfort, Luftwaffe, Original Fiction, Rostov-on-Don, Russia, SS, Slow Romance, Smoking, Soviet Union, World War II
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-05
Updated: 2021-03-11
Packaged: 2021-03-17 07:01:17
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 16,341
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29221362
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gegenmeinenwillen/pseuds/gegenmeinenwillen
Summary: The most ordinary days leaves in our souls both pleasant memories of some events and rotting scars. So much time have passed since then. It all ended five years ago right here, right on this pier. Tanya Zimina made her choice five years ago. But is it the right one? She still didn't know. But she was glad it all was over.
Comments: 5
Kudos: 3





	1. Intro

**Author's Note:**

  * A translation of [Штурмуя небеса](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/755061) by Gegen Meinen Willen. 



You all probably know that there are three hundred sixty-five days in a year. The three hundred sixty-five segments consisting of twenty-four hours, one thousand four hundred and fourth minutes, eighty-six thousand and four hundred seconds. And a whole infinity of moments… Every second something happens in the world. Some people get on with their business, others lose their entire fortune, some are born, others die. Someone has already woken up, and someone is just going to bed. Someone has met a new person, and someone has lost their best friend. Some moments of our lives are completely ordinary, no different from others, and others can change our lives very dramatically and, perhaps, by a cruel way.

It was an ordinary February morning. It was no different from the others — a cold, prickly wind was blowing. The gray snow still lay on the ground. The sky was covered with light gray clouds.

The embankment was empty, there was just a girl standing on the dock. She is wrapped in a shawl and looks at the opposite bank of the river. “It will snow at night”, she thought looking at the clouds, “just like that time”.

The most ordinary days leaves in our soul both pleasant memories of some events and rotting scars. So many days, and weeks, and months have passed since that time. And it was the most ordinary times. It all ended five years ago right here, right on this pier. It was then, five years ago, that she made her choice. But is it the right one? She still did not know. But she was glad it was over.


	2. A Man in the Horch

27th of July 1942  
Rostov-on-Don, Russia

Tanya Zimina looked disdainfully at the cars passing by her and carrying hundreds and thousands of SS officers. Rostov-on-Don was occupied by Germans.

Tanya was supposed to evacuate with everyone just over a week ago, but she hasn’t done it. Everyone she knew had left, but she had not. She stayed in the city with her mother. “Maybe”, she thought, “it's for the best. What if Nick sends a letter and I'm not there?”

Nick Zimin is her older brother who joined the partisans. She has not seen him for a month by now, but she knew that he is alright. This is not the first time for her, because in 1941 years Nick has already joined the partisan’s organization. That time she had not seen him for the whole two months. But then he came back to her safe and sound, as he had promised. And this time he will be back, she told herself.

Nick was like father to her. Before the war, their father was constantly at work. The factory literally took him away from the family. Now the front has taken him. She had received only three letters from her father in the past year. “Everything's all right. Can't promise to be back soon. Take care of your mother” said the letters. They were almost the same content. The only thing that changed in these letters is the places from where they were sended. “At least he's alive, and that makes me happy,” her mother sighed as she read the letters.

Tanya realizes that her hands had finally rested, takes the suitcases, and continues walking, glancing unkindly at the Germans. She was supposed to leave the city a couple of days ago with everyone else, but her friend Liza Bulavina asked her to stay for the day or two. She asked Tanya to see that the furniture was removed from their apartment. The furniture should be taken away the next morning when the Bulavin's family already must leave. And Tanya agreed out of the kindness of her heart. The movers did not arrive, no one took out the furniture, and Tanya missed her train.

She and her mother again tried to evacuate Rostov on the last train a couple days ago. Firstly, they were almost trampled at the station, one of her mother's bags was stolen, and then they were simply not allowed to go to the car, so they had to spend the night at the station. As it turned out later, at this time the Germans took the city.

Tanya and her mother annoyed that they did not catch the train, cursing Liza and her bloody furniture, and returned home. Today Tanya finally decided to break her confinement in the house and get out to the city. Because of the bag stolen from her mother many things were missing, so Tanya decided to borrow some of Liza's things left in her apartment.  
Tanya does not know why she decided to make a detour along Engels street when she went home. Maybe she did it to prevent someone from her friends to see her, maybe so that the Germans did not notice her. Now she was walking near the university building looking at the cars passing by her. The suitcases with Liza's things mercilessly pulled her hands down and cut her palms. She wanted to leave them right there on the sidewalk, but she could not. She had to go home. “Okay, I'll go back and follow the regular way. Never mind”, she thought. “Liza's house will be here soon, it's almost next to mine.”

Already near the passage to the courtyard of the house where Bulavin's family lived, Tanya again stopped to rest. At the same moment, a black Horch with its windows rolled down stopped beside her. His passenger, a handsome blond man in grey uniform sitting in the back seat, turned his head in the woman's direction, took off his sunglasses, and winked at her. Surprised, Tanya dropped one of the suitcases. The German laughed and spoke quickly in his own language. Tanya, who had learned German language at school, could only make out the word “beauty” from all his speech. Trying not to pay attention to the blond man who was still talking, she deftly picked up the suitcases and ducked into the courtyard.

Tanya hiding behind the arch waited for the Horch to leave with the blond man sitting inside it. After waiting for about three minutes, she returned to the street. “Well, these Germans are everywhere now,” she thought, “so I can't hide forever.”

The woman was a little confused by the fact that the blond man laughed. All the Germans she had seen today, were.… Well, this was not how she had imagined them. In her imagination, they were more like the pieces of stone, devoid of any emotions or feelings. But that is only until this morning. After all, it was the first time she had seen them in real life. And they were nothing like what she had imagined them to be. They laugh, they talk. They were like ordinary people. Although why “like”? They were just ordinary people. Only they wore different uniforms.

Finally returning home Tanya left her suitcases at the door and leaned wearily against the wall. It seemed to her that she had not walked half a mile, but at least ten miles. Right now, she just wanted to go to rest.

When she reached the hallway, she paused for a few seconds. Her own apartment seemed somehow unknown, like dead. A half-empty cabinet peeked out from behind an open door leading to one of the two rooms. Next to it on the floor was a crystal dishes that Tanya and her mother really wanted but could not take with them — it was too heavy a burden. A ficus tree stood alone on the windowsill, its leaves hanging dejectedly. Tanya sighed, rubbed her hands over her eyes and went into the kitchen.

Sinking into a chair she placed her hands on the table. Her mother stood by the stove in silence. No, she did not cook anything. Tanya already knew this her habit: when her mother was seriously thinking about something, she would stand at the stove and with her arms folded look somewhere through the window. And Tanya knew what she was thinking now. How to live now? The Germans occupied the city. What will happen? Will this occupation be as short as the first? What awaits Rostov?

“Tanya— “ her mother said suddenly in a low voice, “Liza is dead.”

The woman looked at her mother. She continued to speak without turning to face her: “The train in which they left… It was set on fire near Bataisk. It was all for nothing… We could have caught the train if it hadn't been for the furniture…”

The woman was still talking quietly, but Tanya was not listening. She got up from the table, walked slowly into the hallway, and taking a bunch of keys left the apartment.

Something seemed to snap inside Tanya. Like — crack! — and there is nothing. “Liza is dead” — these words constantly sounded in her head, ringing like a tocsin on her temples. There was a friend, and no one now. It was only two or three days ago that she had asked her to see that their furniture was taken away of the apartments. There was a Bulavin's family — and there is no one.

Tanya had known Liza since the very first grade. Liza was a very kind woman. She always helped Tanya if she needs help. She often invited her to visit her. They always went out together. They sat at the same desk together for ten years at school. They graduated from the same school. And now Liza is gone…

Tanya still trying to digest what her mother had said a couple of minutes ago did not notice how she reached a small building with large windows on the first floor. Between the massive door and the window hung an inconspicuous sign that had once written the name of the place, but, unfortunately, was erased. Tanya with a sad smile took out her keys and began to unlock the door.

It was an old bar where Tanya had been working as a waitress for two last years. The owner of the bar was Victor Mashkov, who, after giving Tanya the spare keys, managed to evacuate from the city almost three weeks ago. Everyone else who worked at the bar also managed to escape. There was only Tanya who could not just leave the bar. It had become so familiar, so like home to her. So, she could not leave this place.

Tanya went inside the hall and would not even have paid attention to the way the door closed if the doorbell did not ring. The woman smiled as she passed behind the bar stool. What a familiar sound this doorbell is to her. It is like a true home… She has been hearing this sound for the last two years. Two years… Viktor Mashkov and the others became a real family for her. And now it was just her.

She sat down helplessly behind the old bar counter, folded her hands in front of her, and sobbed. Mr Mashkov left, and so did everyone else, and Liza died… It seemed to Tanya that she was left alone in this world. That there was no one else who needed her, who could protect her, who could just talk to her as a friend. It remains only family, and that... Her father is at the front, a brother somewhere with the partisans. And her fiancé, Oleg Grechanikov, with whom they did not have time to go to the registry office, has died. He was shot by the Germans during the first occupation of Rostov-on-Don.

“Alone, all alone,” Tanya thought bitterly, continuing to cry. “How is it great classic said? I’m lonely and sad, and in moments of bitterest pain have no one to look to, alas…”

The doorbell rang softly, and footsteps rustled on the floor. Tanya, wiping her face with her hands and sniffing, tried to examine the newcomer.

“Sorry, we’re closed,” she said in Russian and startled by her own hoarse voice.

The stranger stopped in the shadow, so it was hard for Tanya to see him.

“You do not understand? We're closed,” she repeated.

“I don't understand Russian,” the stranger said in German and then took a step toward Tanya, stepping out into the light.

The woman recognized him immediately. It was the blond man from Horch she had seen this morning. “What's he doing here?” she thought, looking at his uniform. “What does he want?”

“We are closed,” Tanya repeated, but this time in German.

“Well, at least I didn't study German in school for nothing,” she thought.

“Why were you crying?” the man asked as he approached the bar counter.

Tanya stared at him in silence. Tall, blue-eyed, blond, and with a gorgeous smile to boot. A real Aryan man, she thought with a grin.

“What difference does it make to you?” the woman turned her face away. “Go away. I told you, we're closed.”

He came closer and stopped leaning against the bar. Tanya took a couple of steps away and hide from him in the dark. 

“Where are you going?” he said. “Stop hiding in the shadows from me. Come on, come here. You…”

“Go away. Leave me alone.” she whispered.

The German grunted in surprise but moved away from the counter and headed to the exit. Tanya sighed with relief and was already preparing to hear the soft tinkle of the doorbell. But suddenly there was the sound of the piano being played. The sound goes from the corner, near to the window. Tanya turned around and looked at the blond man, who played and glanced at her and was clearly not going to leave. She indignantly lifted her shoulders and went into the service room.

Hiding behind the wall, Tanya crossed her arms on chest. It made her mad that the German does not want to leave. “It seems,” she thought, “that this has already happened. You hid from him just like that this morning.”

“Come out,” he laughed from the bar continuing to play Mozart. “I’m not going to go away.”

Tanya knew that she was simply being stupid hiding from him behind the wall. But wouldn't it be even more stupid of her to go out to him? “I'll have to,” she thought, biting her lip, “I'll have to go out. This is stupid. I'm acting like a little girl. He doesn't belong here; he has to go. Although… I can't make him. Now they are the masters of the city. So…”

Tanya timidly left hiding place and slowly approached the piano. The German still playing looked at her and smiled cheerfully.

“What eyes he has,” the woman noted to herself. “Big, clear, light blue, and cold ones. Like two pieces of ice.”

“Oh,” said the German, dropping the game and raising his hands, “I surrender to your beauty, Fraulein! This is the first time this has happened to me, but I want to surrender to you!”

Tanya smiled sadly. She thinks he was just joking, but she was not amused or fun.

“Please,” she said wearily, “go away. We're really closed”.

The blond man obediently stood up and walked to the front door.

“Are you left alone here? Okay, you don't have to tell me, I see that you're alone.”

“Is that why you're coming with your friends to loot me?” Tanya answered the question with a question without thinking.

Only when she did it, she realized that she should not have said it. “Think first and then speak because he's the boss here now,” she told herself waiting for the German's answer.

“Well, we are not fiends to rob such a cozy place of such a beautiful Fraulein,” he said stopping at the door and smiled gently.

Tanya was surprised to hear this answer. She was afraid that after her question, he might yell at her or even hit her, but this… The woman's fear immediately disappeared. She stopped being afraid of the German, became bolder.

“You'll serve us if I come with my friends tomorrow, won't you?” asked the German and put his hand on the door handle.

“Er... maybe,” the woman said evasively. She wanted him to leave now. She wanted him not to ask any questions and just leave.

The bell above the door tinkled.

"Well, see you tomorrow?"

Tanya nodded vaguely, hurriedly locking the door. Immediately, she heard the blond man begin to whistle a tune as he walked away from the bar.

“Why is he so kind?” she thought as she walked to the counter. “I wasn't afraid of him… Why? Probably because he played the piano. I thought that an evil person could not play so well. Why would I think that? But that's how it turned out... Although I can't draw any conclusions right now. He'll be here tomorrow… Stop! Why am I waiting for him to come? He's... an invader. Tanya, wake up! He may look very friendly but... But you must not forget who he is.”

The woman took a rag from the kitchen and wet it, then started to wipe the counter. Although it was completely clean, she has to do something to distract herself from the thoughts that were attacking her. Thoughts of the dead Liza, of this German, of everything that haunted her. She needed to get away, to hide from all these problems, just to be alone for some time. She decided not to go home today — she would spend the night here at the bar.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [1] Rostov-on-Don is the city on the south of Russia were occupied by Germans twice. First time during the fall of 1941. The second time since the July of 1942 till the February of 1943.  
> [2] Bataysk - a small town near with Rostov.


	3. An Unexpected Guest

Tanya spent the whole next day at the bar. She absolutely did not want to go home, because she knew that her mother would talk about Liza again. The last thing she wanted to hear about was Liza. So, she sat at the bar counter, her head resting on her elbows, and looked out the window.

After spending many hours thinking, Tanya still could not understand why everything was happening like this. Why was Liza suddenly dead? Why did this pure, beautiful woman die so suddenly? Why was that German so nice to her? Why did she speak so boldly to him? Why is she sitting here in the bar now and waiting for him to come? Tanya had a lot of questions, but she could not really answer them. Seemed, she found some explanations, but then realized that they sounded childish, or there was some fact that contradicted them.

But most of all Tanya was interested in the behavior of the blond man. He smiled, joked, and played the piano so well that it completely broke all her ideas about the Germans. How much times they were told about their ruthlessness, coolness, but all of it was not true. There was no animal grin, which propaganda painted on the anti-fascist’s posters. That man has not pointed the muzzle of his weapon at her, has not even try to hit her once even he could do this because she did not watch her tongue. This blond man stood out from the gray mass; he was not like the others.

Noticing that the street was already beginning to get dark on, Tanya braced herself and, closed all the doors, turned off the lights and went home. 

After walking one block she realized that someone was following her. She could feel someone's eyes on her back, almost burning her. She was not alone. She was afraid to turn around, so she just picked up her pace.

When she reached Liza's house, the stranger was still following her. 

“No, I can't go home,” Tanya decided, looking at the multi-story building. “My mother's there. I can't go home.” 

Her eyes stopped on Liza's balcony. 

“What if?” 

The footsteps did not stop behind her. 

“Yes, there is no choice. Maybe it seems that this person is just on the way with me, but... But I'd rather not go home today.” she thought and ducked into the courtyard.  
Entering the entrance, the girl thought for a couple of seconds about had she done the right thing or not. Yes, she might have lost her pursuer, but there is something ahead of her.… She does not know what it is, but there is clearly no good. She could hear laughter and loud conversations in German coming from the upper floors. 

“So,” thought Tanya, slowly climbing up the stairs, “the house is now theirs. I hope at least Liza's apartment isn't occupied.”

Walking up to the second floor, Tanya walked past the open door of the empty apartments which is now owned by the Germans. From some of the apartments, she could hear their laughter, loud chatter, the clink of glass, and drunken songs. For her own sake, no one noticed her. Everyone just was not up to it.

When she stopped in front of the open door of the apartment on the fifth floor, she was upset. Liza's apartment was also occupied by German soldiers. But it was too late to retreat to Tanya, because the Germans have noticed her and goes out on the floor.

“It is your apartment? Yes? Yours?” They shouted at the same time. 

Frightened Tanya was silent. She did not know if she should answer them in German. 

“Maybe,” she thought, “it would be better if they won’t know that I can speak their language. Maybe…”

“Russisch? Russisch!” They shouted, laughing, and grabbed her by the arms.

Tanya started kicking and moving away, but they held her tightly as they dragged her into the apartment. They pushed open one of the doors, pushed her into the room, and shouted after her:

“Live!” Apparently, one of them has already learned a couple of Russian words.

Immediately, the door slammed shut. There was a loud laugh from outside, then all was still as the soldiers went either to the kitchen or to the living room.

Tanya sat down on the edge of the bed, rubbing her aching wrists, which were being held too tightly a few moments ago. It was the smallest room in the apartment. It is a corner room; it is always cold here at winter. Previously, there was a private library of the Bulavin's family, and then it was turned into a guest bedroom.

“Well, it's better than nothing at all. Although, what am I happy about? Heck! Why, why did I come here? I made up my own mind that someone was following me, and I came here. Oh, Good Lord, I’d rather wander around the block! What should I do now?” thought Tanya, looking around the room.

Tanya took off her shoes, climbed onto the bed with her legs tucked under her. Wrapping the blanket around her, she looked out the window. It is already night. The clock on the wall showed the eight. The Germans behind the wall continued to make noise.

The girl tried to figure out what she has to do now. She clearly will not be able to leave, because the Germans simply will not let her out. Falling asleep was also scary to her. What if they came in? All she could do was sit on the bed and stare out the window, trying not to fall asleep.

“It's awful,” she thought, looking out of the window. “No, it's impossible! What have they turned the city into? And after all, they are only a few days here... And there are all around the drunken, unleashed soldiers of this greatest German army. Although, they managed to occupy our city. Why do they behave that way? Why… Because they are the winners. What else can they do? Of course, they celebrate their victory.”

All she had managed to do all night was take a little nap. It did not last for long, because she woke up almost immediately, afraid that the soldiers might come in. A couple of times she got up and walked around the room, stretching her cramped legs. She did not turn on the light, because she was afraid that soldiers can remember about her.

At dawn she timidly opened the door and carefully looked out into the corridor. The apartment was silent, the Germans were asleep. Closing the door behind her, she ran out into the staircase, and then into the empty street. 

“I need to get home, quickly as possible,” Tanya mentally urged herself, walking quickly, almost running, towards her house.

Her mother was still asleep, so Tanya went quietly to her room, trying not to wake her with the noise. She undressed and got into bed, her eyes closing as she walked. All she needs after this long night is just a sleep.

Waking up in the evening, Tanya dressed, washed her face in the bathroom, and came to the kitchen. Her mother was sitting at the table, her cheek propped on her fist, and she is looking out the window. Tanya sat down at the table in front of her.

“Dinner's on the stove,” the woman said quietly. She wanted to say something else, but she did not.

“Is there something else you wanted to say?” Tanya asked.

“Yes,” woman nodded. “Tomorrow morning… How should I say it? In general, tomorrow...”

“What? What's tomorrow?”

“I'll take your room tomorrow.”

“Why?”

“Because of the Germans.”

She paused. There is need no more words because Tanya already understood everything. Their apartment is occupied by German soldiers, as they occupied the Bulavins' apartment. What did she expect, though? Now everyone who stayed in Rostov is being evicted like this. They both were lucky enough to be allowed at least to keep their room. And they also warned that they were moving in tomorrow.

But Tanya knew that the two of them would be cramped, because her room was small. So, she told her mother that she would stay in Liza's apartment for some time.

“Isn't it occupied?” asked her mother. “I was told this morning that their house was completely occupied by SS officers.”

“They took it, but there's a room… They allowed me to stay there.”

The woman sighed and nodded, getting up from his seat and left. She needs to remove things from the rooms.

After a quick lunch, Tanya took one of her suitcases, which she had not sorted out the day before yesterday, went out and went to the bar. For some reason, she was drawn there. She could not live without this bar, which had become almost like a second home for her. She just could not help but to go there. 

“What if the Germans loot it? What if they breaks the windows and gets in? What if they have already done it? What if... What if this blond man would come? I don't care about him, though. He was joking. Probably.” She thought as she walked down the street.

As she was approaching the bar, a German soldier suddenly appeared in front of her. It seems that he rolled out of the nearest entrance, falling right in front of Tanya. The man smelling of alcohol. Tanya, grimacing, took a step to the side, decide to get around him and continue walking on. But he jumped up and, babbling something in German, rushed to her. Tanya staggered back, and the German flew past her, falling to the ground. Tanya quickly strode forward, not waiting for him to get up and catch up with her. She turned the corner, crossed the courtyard, and entered the bar by the back door.

Closing the door behind her, Tanya left her suitcase in the corridor by the door and went into the bar hall. As usual, she sat down behind the bar counter and stared into the dark windows. After a couple of minutes, she realized that she could not just sit there, so she got up and went to the piano. The Mozart that the German had been playing began to sound in her head. Tanya, smiling, opened the lid and pressed a few keys. She does not know how to play, but she wanted to play what the blond man was playing. He was so good at it…

Then she heard someone open the back door, enter, and close it almost noiselessly behind them. 

“Is it the one from the street?” Tanya thought excitedly as she approached the door that led to the service rooms. From there, she heard a soft mutter. 

“It’s a Russian! Oh, yes,” she thought, growing bolder. “But who? The owner wouldn't come back so early, and neither would the others…”

Opened door a little she peered around the corner and saw a huge man who had apparently tripped over her suitcase as he came in. He felt himself being watched, and abruptly straightened up and turned to face the girl. Tanya could not help but scream:

“Uncle Michael!”

“Tanya!” the man grinned and opened his bear hug and hugged the girl.

Uncle Misha or Michael Ivanovich Shcherbakov was her uncle and her mother’s brother. He always lived in Krasnodar, so Tanya was very surprised to see him here.

“What brings you here?” Tanya moved away from him to examine him.

“You've grown up, haven't you?” he chuckled. “You've got prettier! Me? Oh, it's... Oh, seemed you don't know! I came here in the last winter, before the occupation, and somehow accidentally joined the partisans, became a commissar.”

“Are you serious?” she asked.

“Yes,” he nodded. “Do you have anything to drink? Second day on my feet… It's almost impossible to hide from these devils anywhere.”

“Yes, yes,” she said and lead him into the hall. “How did you find me? I mean the bar.”

“Your mother told me. I went to her first, almost got caught.”

“Uncle,” she said, handing him a glass of water, “tell me about the partisans.”

As soon as Tanya heard about the partisan organization, an idea was born in her head. It is wild and dangerous idea, but after that night at Liza’s occupied home Tanya was ready for anything. This was exactly what she needed.

“Tell you about what?” he drained the glass with one hand. “Anti-fascist leaflets, sabotage. Why do you need to know that?”

“Uncle Mich-,” Tanya started to say, but was interrupted.

“Uh, no, darling,” he said, slamming his glass down on the bar, “don't even think about it.”

“But- “

“Have you seen yourself? You're a girl, Tanya!”

“Uncle!”

“What's 'Uncle'? I've been your Uncle for years.” he sighed. “Why, why are you looking at me that way? You won't back down now, will you?” 

Tanya nodded. 

“Good Lord, and what am I going to do with you? Oh, Tanya…” 

“Uncle, please!” 

“Alright! Is that really what you want?”

“Yes!”

“Okay, let's go tomorrow… And why would you do that?”

“Uncle, are you serious?” Tanya smiled sadly. “Have you seen what's on the streets?”

“I have. But why would you want to fight? You, a girl!”

“And who would if not me,” Tanya got up from her seat, took an empty glass and carried it to the sink.

Then Tanya remembered that the blond man had promised to come to her, and not alone but with a friend. 

“Not right now,” she thought, startled, almost dropping the glass from her hand. “Not now! Whenever you want, tomorrow, the day after tomorrow, but only on time when my uncle is not there!”

“Tanya —" a man's voice came from the audience, “may I spent the night here?”

“All right,” she said knowing she could not say ‘no’ to her uncle. “I'll lock you up and go home, and I'll pick you up in the morning.”

In the morning, at dawn, Tanya jumped out of Liza's apartment where she spent another night and rushed to the bar. She was afraid that Uncle Michael is already waiting for her, that she is late. But when she entered the bar, he was still asleep, lying down on one of the tables.

After waking him up, Tanya handed him bread and a glass of water. She was hurrying him. She was impatient because she wanted to get into the squad as soon as possible.

They did not go through the main streets because Uncle Misha was afraid of getting caught by the Germans which had been looking for him for a long time. They had to make their way through some quiet and God-forsaken courtyards. The whole city was still asleep.

When they stopped near a small two-story house, the man looked around and beckoned Tanya to follow him into the basement. At first, she could not see anything, because of the darkness. But Uncle Michael easily navigated here, leading her along. Finally, her eyes adjusted, and she could make out the outlines of some furniture and see the walls clearly.

Then they turned for the last time and got into a small room. There was a table at which sat a middle-aged man smoking a pipe. In the light of the lamp that illuminated him from the table, his face looked serious and even a little menacing. Next to the man was a young guy who was holding some papers in his hands.

“Mr. Ugov, I've brought my niece,” Uncle Misha said, approaching the table. “Oh, your mother will certainly beat me for that…”

After briefly outlining the situation, Uncle Misha fell silent. Tanya had been standing against the wall all this time, just waiting for the captain sitting at the table to say something.  
“Are you sure you really want to do this?” he asked, looking at the woman.

“Yes!” She answered quickly. “And there's something else.”

“What?”

“I run a bar. Well, technically, it's not mine, but the owners have left, so I'm in charge now. And there's a German officer… In general, I want to serve the Germans to get information from them.”

Tanya immediately caught two glances at her. Uncle and the captain thoughtfully look at her. They both looked surprised. Almost immediately, her uncle's gaze changed, and Tanya can clearly read in his gaze: “Don't you dare!”

“Well,” the man chuckled, “that's not a bad idea.”

He said a few more sentences, of which Tanya remembered only that she was accepted. Almost accepted. She needs to say the oath and the deed is done. She could not believe in it.

An hour later, when several more men in uniform and two guys in civilian clothes appeared in the basement, Tanya, standing in the very center, began to recite the oath:

“I am, Tatyana Zimina, join the ranks of the anti-fascist underground organization. Beside of face of my friends in arms, beside of the face of my long-suffering native land, beside of all the people, I solemnly swear: to fulfill without question any tasks of the organization; to keep in the deepest secrecy everything that concerns my work here.” 

She paused for a moment, looked quickly around, took a deep breath, and continued: 

“I swear to take merciless revenge for the burned, ravaged cities and villages, for the blood of our people, for the martyrdom of our fellow heroes. And if this revenge requires my life, I will give it without a moment's hesitation. If I break this sacred vow under torture or through cowardice, then may my name, my family be forever cursed, and I be punished by the harsh hand of my comrades. Blood for blood, death for death!”

There was a silence as soon as she finished her speech. Her heart was pounding so hard in her chest that Tanya thought it was going to knock out her ribs. Her knees were weak, and her hands were shaking.

Finally and irrevocably, she was accepted into the anti-fascist underground organization of Michael Yugov.


	4. A Surprising Offer

30 of July 1942

Tanya wiped the glasses with a dry towel, occasionally glancing at the street through the window. After she was accepted to Yugov partisan organization, Uncle Misha said that she will be contacted as soon as there will be a suitable assignment for her. In the meantime, she needed to prepare. They agreed that none of their own people would go to the bar, because there would most likely be Germans here, from whom Tanya would receive information. She gets a certificate that, as it says, she is engaged in the ballet studio of the Kleinis theater of Inna Mir. She did not have to go to classes there all the time, just occasionally come to the theater and wait in the dressing room for someone from Yugov to pass on the information.

It has been five days since Tanya met that blond German. Every day, when she was at the bar, she waits for him. She did not know why, but she waits. 

“I know he's the enemy, but...” she thought. “But still, how different he was from all the other Germans. Maybe it was just my imagination, though. Maybe he is just an ordinary German. Maybe they're all like that… But if they are all so kind and cheerful, then who is killing our people there, at the front?”

Finished with the glasses, Tanya went to the service room. For the third time, as if something might have changed, she checked the inventory. About a hundred liters of beer and almost sixty liters of vodka. There was no wine. The last delivery was before the occupation. Now, when there was almost no food, it is unlikely that someone will deliver alcohol to her.

Then she heard the doorbell tinkles in the hall, and the sound of footsteps. 

“It's him!” Tanya thought happily, rushing into the hall, and straightening her skirt as she went. But when she was almost out of the door, she stopped. She peeked out carefully, trying not to step out of the shadows.

There were three of them. She immediately recognized the blond man, standing in the center. The other two were looking around the bar, talking quietly to each other.

“Believe me, it's worth it,” she heard the blond man say.

Clearing his throat, he added in a louder voice: “Come out, dear Fraulein! I know you're here.”

Tanya sighed, folded her arms, and went out. She stopped behind the counter and cocked her head a little to one side.

“You promised to come back tomorrow. And it's been five days.”

“You were waiting for me?” he came closer and smiled. “That's so sweet… Oh, yes!” He nodded his head in the direction of the other two. “Those two are my friends.”

The two other guys, seeing Tanya, smiled slightly, and nodded in greeting. Tanya quickly looked them over. One was tall, with dark, almost black hair and dark blue eyes. He had pleasant and regular features. The other was young, too young. A boy, she decided looking at him, just a boy. He was blond, with slightly curly hair, big blue-gray eyes, and a charming smile. He could not have been more than seventeen.

“Why are you standing there?” The blond man sat down at the bar. “Bring us a drink.”

Tanya silently turned around and, taking the mugs with her, went to the service room. She returned almost a minute later, setting three nearly brimming mugs of beer on the bar in front of her.

“That's better,” the blond man chuckled and waved his friends over. “Thank you, beauty.”

Tanya, leaning against the doorjamb and folding her arms, looked at the Germans, who were drinking beer, talking quietly to each other about something and sometimes laughing.

“This is not the meeting I was waiting for,” the woman thought, looking around at the Germans. “I was waiting… Yes, truth to be said, I was waiting for this blonde, but not for his friends. Even though he said he was coming with a friend... Then why did he come with two instead of one?”

Meanwhile, the two friends of the blonde quickly drank their beer and left a couple of money bills on the counter and said goodbye to the blonde, left. The blond man was still sitting behind the counter. Tanya looked wearily at her watch. 

“Almost eight o'clock, time to go home,” she thought. "If I don't go now, I can't just walk past the soldiers. And how would I get this one out?”

“Are you in a hurry to go somewhere?” the German asked, sipping from his mug. He noticed that she watched her watch.

“Home,” Tanya crossed her arms over her chest.

He nodded, finished his beer in one gulp, then looked at the woman's face and added: “I'll walk you out.”

“No, thanks,” she shook her head. “You'd better go.”

Tanya hid from him in the service room. Opening the water, she put her hands on the sink and stared blankly at the mugs in the sink. 

“What's he doing?” She thought, looking at the tiles. “What am I doing? Damn… It's wrong!” 

After washing the mugs and putting them to dry, Tanya looked out into the hall. The German had left, leaving money on the counter. After putting them in the cash register, the woman tightly closed the curtains and, having cleaned up the hall, went to the exit.

“All right,” she thought, closing the back door. “Now I'll have to go to Engels’s street in the dark. I hope I won't to run into trouble.”

Adjusting the strap of the purse on her shoulder, Tanya quickly left the courtyard of bar and walked energetically towards the Liza's house on Engels’s street. She had not really liked walking around the city at night before the war, and now she certainly did not. There are drunken Wehrmacht soldiers all over here, trying to pick on everyone…

“Where are you going in such a hurry?” A man's voice came from behind her. Tanya wanted to speed up her pace, but she was grabbed by the arm. 

“Wait a minute. I'll walk with you.”

“I can walk on my own,” Tanya said, pulling her hand away.

“I insist,” the blond man released her for a second and immediately took her palm, more comfortable this time. “Now let's go. Where do you live?” 

“At the corner of Engels’s street and Kirovsky avenue,” she said quietly.

Tanya realized that she would not be able to get rid of this German. 

“I thought he's gone,” she thought, walking beside him. “I saw it myself. So, he was waiting for me here somewhere. Heck! What if someone I know sees me now? What will happen... Hope, my mother is now at home. She certainly shouldn't see it. And if I meet Uncle Misha? He'll understand. Now the main thing is trying not to meet anyone I know. If I will, the explanations will be more difficult… If only everything will be okay!”

“Is this your bar, is not it?” the German asked suddenly.

“Yes, sort of it,” Tanya replied warily.

“Then I want to offer you something.”

The woman stiffened. What kind of offer would he have for her? Why would he ask about the bar? 

“This is not good,” she thought, looking at the German with fright. “It is not good.”

“Why are you looking at me like that?” he laughed softly. “Don't be afraid. I just wanted to make a little deal with you.”

“I'm listening carefully.”

“Well, I noticed right away that your place is quite nice. And it was liked not only by me, but also by my friends. So, I want to make an offer: our alcohol in your bar. Do you agree?”

“I don't understand,” she said, confused.

“We have enough alcohol,” the blond man explained, “but we don't have a cozy place to drink it. You know, it's not that good to enjoy it in apartments. And you run a bar, but I think there's a problem with alcohol. That's why I want to offer you this.” 

He caught her gaze on him. 

“You want to ask about the price? All the proceeds will be divided in half. Is that okay with you?”

Tanya thought for a couple of seconds. 

“This is,” she thought, “right what I need. If I agree, more and more Germans will come to the bar. And if there will be more of the Germans, then I will get more information. Well, for the sake of this, I can make an agreement…”

“I agree.”

“Great!” The German grinned contentedly.

The Liza's house was less than a block away. The woman constantly looked around, afraid to accidentally see someone of her friends. The German was beginning to get a little annoyed.

“Waiting for someone?” he asked.

“Not that— ” she shrugged.

“Then calm down,” he said. Then he added, a little more gently, “I won't hurt you, don't be afraid. You're not afraid of me, are you?”

“Maybe just a little.”

The blond man grinned contentedly. At that moment, they came to the archway.

“Oh, yes, this is where I saw you for the first time,” he smiled.

“We came,” Tanya wanted to free her hand, but the German did not let her do it.

“I'll walk you to your apartment,” he said, leading her to the entrance. “What floor?”

“The fifth.”

As they are going up the stairs the blond man quickly looked around the open apartment doors, where drunken laughter was coming from. On the fourth floor in front of them, a soldier jumped out of one of these apartments and ran down, laughing loudly. The German only grimaced in disgust and, letting Tanya go ahead, continued to go after her.

They stopped at the door of the apartment where Tanya now lives. She did not have to get her keys, because the door was already wide open.

“We're here,” Tanya said, standing next to the door. “Thanks.”

“Do you live here?” The blond man asked, slightly puzzled. “With the soldiers?”

“Yes. They let me stay.”

He frowned. Pushing the woman aside with a slight movement of his hand, the German went into the apartment. He found the shouting soldiers in the kitchen immediately. He quickly introduced himself, but because of the noise created by the soldiers, Tanya did not hear anything.

“What the hell are you doing here?” he asked sternly, placing his hands on the table.

Each of them began to answer loudly, trying to interrupt the other. 

“How can he understand at least something?” Tanya thought, stopping in the corridor.

For a second, he turned his face sideways so that the woman could see him. He was angry. His face is tense, the muscles in his jaw twitching. His eyes really looked like two prickly pieces of transparent ice.

“Do you know whose house this is?” The blond man raised his voice a little. The soldiers nodded silently. “Then get out! I don't want to see any of your things here in ten minutes!”  
The soldiers jumped up from the table in a flash and rushed to the rooms. One of them, running past the surprised woman, accidentally pushed her. The blond man saw it.

“Wait a minute!” he grabbed the soldier by the scruff of the neck and pulled him back into place. “Apologize to her for pushing her.”

“But she's Russian!” he protested.

“Didn't you hear what I said?”

“I'm sorry—” the guy said through his teeth, trying not to look in Tanya's direction.

The blond man gave him a push and let him go. 

“Hope I won't see that woman treated like that again.”

After grabbing their belongings, the soldiers left the apartment, leaving Tanya and that German alone. As soon as the door closed behind them, he let out a weary sigh and turned to face the woman.

“It’s so useful to have a powerful brother,” said the German.

He was himself again, the pleasant German Tanya had seen before. His voice is soft again, and his eyes are looking at her friendly again.

“And who is your brother?” Tanya asked, walking into the living room, and opening the window.

“Didn't you guess yet?”

“No,” Tanya said.

“Kriminalrat and SS Sturmbannführer Joachim Riedel. You see how convenient it is when you look so damn much like your big brother, who has power.”

“It truly is,” the corners of the woman’s lips twitched.

“Well, I think I should go now,” he said, stopping just outside the door. “Don't be afraid of these soldiers anymore. They won't be here tomorrow. No one. This house was prepared for SS officers. So, you'll be alone in this apartment.”

“Thank you,” Tanya leaned on the windowsill and put her hands on her chest.

“By the way,” the blond man leaned his shoulder against the door frame, “we don't even know each other. What is your name, dear Fraulein?”

“Tanya,” the woman said quietly.

“Tanya,” the blond man said thoughtfully with his accent. The woman, hearing this, chuckled softly.

“And you?”

“Max. Max Riedel.”

“Well,” Tanya said, “Max Riedel, I'll see you later.”

“Of course,” he said, turned and left.

When the front door slammed behind him in the corridor, Tanya finally gave vent to her feelings and laughed. 

“Tanya,” she thought, “who would think… I've never heard someone pronounce my name with that bad accent before. Although, what did I expect from a German? Oh, Tanya… There are plenty of people and I met him. By the way, who is he? Probably an SS man, like his brother. Although, neither will do for the sake of Yugov's. I wonder how they will react to this. No, not like that. How will Uncle Misha react to this? Although, they should all not care about it. The main thing is information.”

Closing the window, Tanya went into the room that the Germans had given her. Now she had the whole apartment, but firstly it was worth cleaning up. The Germans lived just a couple of days here, and there is so messy. So, leaving the cleaning for later, the woman went to her room and immediately lay down on the bed. She was very tired, so she should have rested. She wanted to fall asleep as soon as she touched the pillow, but she was distracted by thoughts of that blond German. 

“Max Riedel,” she kept saying to herself, “Max… Who is he? And why was he so attracted to me? Max Riedel… And he's not like the others. He is kind and polite. Although what do I want from a man who played the piano so good? Riedel…”

Thoughts began to gradually get confused, and so Tanya quickly fell into the world of dreams.


	5. An Argument

5th of August 1942

Wiping the glasses with a dry towel, Tanya looked around the bar. Her plan was successful; the bar was full of SS men and high-ranking Wehrmacht employees.

The next day, after Max had walked her home, he arrived at her bar with some tough guys. Leaving her a booze, he said he does not know if he would be able to visit her for the next few days, so asked her to be careful.

After that, the bar gradually began to fill up. Many of them were brought in by one of Riedel's two friends, the boy with the faint blond curls. Then, seeing that the entire bar counter site and most of the tables in the hall are occupied, Tanya realized that everything is going according to plan. The more of them, the more likely she is to hear the information she needs.

Now the bar is completely full. The Germans smoke and play cards, sip beer or cognac, and had a lot of fun. One of them even brought her a captured gramophone 'Leningrad' and played records with German marches on it. Tanya, watching them, just grinned. 

“Well, never mind,” she thought, putting away the glasses, “ I let them do what they want. They don't know anything. I let them have fun. I'll wait. I'll wait for now.”

Picking up a tray with several beers, she left the counter and walked between the tables. The four SS officers sitting by the window had asked for more food a few minutes ago, and now they saw her with a tray and laughed happily. Setting their mugs on the table, she smiled at them and hurried back, the tray in one hand.

Already halfway across the room, Tanya froze. Max was sitting at a table near the wall with a group of equally handsome officers. 

“No, it can't be him,” she thought, looking at the back of his head. “No, it's not him. I can only see him from the back. No, but probably… He said he wouldn't be here.”

He turned his face sideways for a moment and laughed.

“Maybe something changed that’s why he’s there. The voice is even similar. Who knows if he's telling the truth? Maybe it's a test? No. It's him, definitely. Well, it's worth to come and say 'hello', I suppose.”

Taking a deep breath, she started walking toward him. She stopped beside him, put her hand on his shoulder, and exhaled:

“Hi.”

“Well, hello,” he said, turning to face her and smiling pleasantly.

Tanya jerked her hand away from his shoulder. It wasn't Max. The man, with the same blond hair, neatly combed back, and blue eyes, looked incredibly similar to Max. 

“Even the laughter is the same,” the girl thought as she examined the man. 

The laughter of this blond man's friends brought Tanya out of her stupor. Grabbing the tray more comfortably, she hurried to the counter. 

“How,” she scolded herself, “how could I have been wrong? No, it's just not possible. Such a similarity… Except this one's a little older. It’s astonishing.”

Tanya spent the whole day running around with a tray from the counter to the tables, carrying almost full mugs. She even began to think about finding some girl to help her because she obviously could not do it alone.

But what all this was arranged for, Tanya has not yet received. The Germans, as luck would have it, were silent. More precisely, they talked about anything but their work.

“Hey, is there anything else?”

Tanya, who was thinking behind the counter, was distracted by someone's voice.

A young SS officer waved his hand holding a stack of German march records in the air to attract attention. Tanya, who was still not completely out of the world of her thoughts, tried to understand what he had asked her. Finally, she said:

“Are you tired of these one?”

“A little,” he said.

“I'll try to find.”

She looked around the bar wearily. It is almost nine o'clock, so the hall is half empty. 

“It's amazing,” the woman thought, wiping the counter, “they usually stay up late, but today… It's strange.”

After escorting the last of the men out of the bar, she warned them and asked them to tell the others that the bar would not be open tomorrow.

“Why?” the Germans protested. “How so?”

“Well,” she said, “it's a top secret.”

She decided to have a cleaning day at the bar tomorrow. It was too late to do it now, and if she would clean today then she would have to get home in the early morning. Tanya wanted not only to clean the whole bar, but also to clean the windows. Therefore, the cleaning was postponed until tomorrow.

As she is going up the stairs in the entrance, Tanya smiled discreetly at the SS officer who greeted her as he left his apartment. 

“It's amazing,” she thought, as she continued to go up, “but Riedel was right. There are no more soldiers, only SS men. And for some reason, I like it. Well, probably because their behavior is not that bad. Although, I see them mostly only in the evening and maybe in the morning. Who knows what's going on here during the day? In any case, I'm not afraid now... I'm not afraid that I might be dragged into some apartment, or some drunk might fall out on me.”

Closing the door behind her with a key, Tanya went into the living room. She did not recognize the apartment. Over the past couple of days, she had cleaned here, arranged the furniture, and taken all the photos of Liza and her family from the walls, so that nobody would ask her question about the people on the walls. And immediately the apartment was somehow transformed. Tanya, walking from room to room, felt more alone than ever.

“Liza, Liza,” thought the girl, as she went into the kitchen to make herself some tea, “and why did you leave me? You were the only friend I had, and you are gone… And now I'm hiding your portraits. Not because it hurts me to see you smiling, but because I'm afraid. I'm surprised the soldiers didn't notice them then... It's hard without you, Liza. Without your support. Oh, I wish I could turn back the time and keep you off that train. But what can I do?”

When the kettle was boiling, Tanya poured herself a cup of hot tea and went to the balcony. Taking a sip of hot tea, she set the cup on the windowsill and leaned her hands on the parapet, looking down into the courtyard. Several men in black uniforms were standing near the car, talking loudly. In the next wing of the house, windows were lit on all floors, showing male silhouettes. One of them, standing at a window on the sixth floor, saw the girl and waved to her. Tanya, for some reason afraid of him, nodded to him and, grabbing the cup, went into the room.

Waking up early in the morning, Tanya had a hasty breakfast and, having made herself up, hurried out of the apartment. All night she was tormented by nightmares, several times she woke up. She hasn’t get much sleep.

As she stepped out of the archway, she realized that it had been a long time since she had visited her mother. "Perhaps," she thought, as she turned around the corner, "I should go to her. I don't think she'll be happy, but... I'll come in anyway. At least just to know that she's okay. Tell her about uncle Michael and Yugov's? No, I won't. If she says she saw him, I'll tell her… But not about my introduction. She shouldn't know that."

Turning into her courtyard and going into the entrance, she hesitantly stopped at the door of the apartment. It was ajar, and the apartment was silent. Tanya froze, bracing herself for the worst. But then she heard the kettle begin to boil softly in the kitchen which meant that someone was there. Carefully opening the door, she entered the apartment.

She immediately found her mother in the kitchen. She was making breakfast. When she saw her daughter, she was somewhat happy because of her appearing.

“Got anything from father?” The girl asked, smiling.

“No,” she said. “Not from him, not from Nick.”

“How are you?” Tanya asked, sitting down at the table.

“Don't know what to say,” the woman sighed heavily. “Everything is bad, Tanya. I don't know what to do.”

“What's the matter?”

“I live in your room with a neighbor and her young daughters. The Germans occupied our apartments. It's a miracle that they were allowed to stay in one room at least... The others were moved into the courtyards, into sheds and janitors' rooms.”

Tanya's heart sank. She was about to offer to move in with her but changed her mind. “No, she decided, she could become a problem for me.… The whole game will go down the drain. I can't do it. After all, it may be that someone will come to me… Like, Max Riedel will come, and there she is. No, I can't. Riedel… Precisely! It's a good idea. Anyway, it's worth a try.”

“Will you stay for breakfast?” Her mother asked her quietly.

Tanya, taking her purse in her hands, got up from her seat and, saying goodbye to her, promising that everything would soon get better, began to move towards the exit.

“Wait!” she threw up her hands. “Stay here. They're still asleep. They'll definitely sleep until nine. No one will see you. Tanya!” 

The woman paused at the door.

“How are you?”

“I'm fine, Mom,” Tanya tried to smile, but she could not. With one last look at her mother, she left the apartment.

So that her mother could not catch up with her, the woman had to speed up her pace. She could hear her mother shouting after her, but she tried to ignore her screams.

Tanya, without slowing down, quickly reached the bar. Only there, after washing her face in cold water, she came to her senses. 

“What am I doing,” she thought, standing over the sink, “with my own mother, like this? What else should I do? All what I would like to tell her is uncle Misha with Yugov's and Riedel. But it is impossible, impossible for me to talk about them to her. For now.”

She cleaned up the hall quickly. Tanya swept, washed the floors, and wiped all the tables. It was very hot in the room; it is a classic August with its about 40 degrees about Celcium. Tanya really wanted to open the door so that fresh air could enter the hall, but she had to suffer in the stuffiness. She knew that if she opened it now, the Germans would immediately come, and she would hardly be able to get them out of here.

When the woman came to washing the windows on the street side, the time went faster. She took out a stepladder and a bucket of water and sighed happily as a faint summer breeze blew across her face. Tying up her hair, Tanya soaked a rag and set to work.

It was a bit boring to work, and it was so hot outside, so Tanya did not even notice when she started singing. She had already heard that it was forbidden to sing Soviet songs, but she had no choice because she did not know any other ones. And she could not work without humming something.

Ten minutes later, several Germans passed by. One of them, lagging his friends, stopped next to the ladder and, looking up at Tanya, asked if she was afraid to sing in Russian. Saying that she was not afraid, she asked not to disturb her and threatened that if he did not leave immediately, she would throw water at him. He laughed and left her alone.

When the German left, the girl continued to wipe the window so that there were no stains. She knew quite a few different songs, but for some reason they all disappeared from her mind. Therefore, starting the second window, after “Katyusha” she began to sing “Stalin is our military glory”. At that moment it seemed to her that she was not afraid of anything already.

Suddenly, footsteps were heard from behind, and Tanya fell silent.

“What were you singing a moment ago, darling?” a man's voice came from behind. It seemed to Tanya that she had heard it somewhere before.

“A song about Stalin,” she replied, turning her head timidly. Max and another man were standing there, smiling. Tanya remembered seeing the second one at the bar. Then she thought he was Max. “Is it forbidden to sing? I can sing in German, I'm not afraid!”

“Sing it, then,” said the second man, smiling.

Tanya, receiving a reassuring nod from Max, began the same song again, but in German: “Das lieber der Stalin dem alle vertrauen…”

The man listened, clapped his hands, and said: “You have a beautiful voice, my girl, sing always and everywhere.”

Tanya smiled shyly. She had already guessed that this was Max's brother.

Although the brothers had a lot in common in a first look, but they still had a lot of differences. Max gave the impression of being a pleasant young man, no matter how hard he tried to look tough. He seemed to Tanya to radiate kindness. His brother, Joachim, gave quite the opposite impression. Even when he was smiling, and she could see that he was sincere, he seemed rude and even a little angry. Even the sight of them, despite having the same eye color, was completely different. Max's look is always warm, but Joachim justified his two prickly pieces of ice, he looked as if he already knew everything about you in advance. And because of this look, she wanted to hide somewhere far away.

Max, meanwhile, went to the ladder and leaned his shoulder on it, looking at the woman. The other man remained standing with his hands clasped behind his back.

“Hello there,” Riedel said quietly, cocking his head a little to one side. Tanya noticed that during these days his face was slightly tanned. “I want you to introduce to you my brother, Joachim.”

Tanya glanced at Joachim when he smiled at her and told his brother that they seemed to already know each other. 

“That's right,” Tanya thought, “and now I understand why I thought he was Max. They're looking so similar.”

“You know him?” Max asked, surprised. “Well then!”

“Max,” his brother interrupted, “I have to go.”

“What?” he spun around, swaying the ladder a little. When he felt it, he held it tighter, not letting Tanya to fell. “Why?”

“You know I have work to do.” He looked at Tanya. “Goodbye, dear Tanya.”

“Goodbye,” she said, feeling herself smile. She was a little touched by the fact that both brothers could not pronounce her name properly because of their accents.

Max caught up with his departing brother and talked to him for a few more minutes. Tanya, trying not to draw much attention to herself, continued to wash the window, while trying to hear what they were saying. But they were too far away, and they were talking rather quietly.

Soon Max, after saying goodbye to his brother, returned.

“Will you finish soon?” he asked, coming up to the woman.

“I don't know. Maybe in twenty or thirty minutes. Why did you ask?”

“I'll be gone for a few minutes,” the German did not answer her question and turned around and quickly walked back to where Joachim had gone.

Tanya finished the window much faster than she had told Max. After taking the ladder to the service room and washing the bucket and rag, she quickly closed the bar and was about to go home when she remembered that Max had promised to return. 

“But he didn't say when,” she thought, pausing at the door. “How long do I have to wait for him? No, I have to go. I don't want it to get dark before I get home… I hope he won't be offended.”

Turning the corner, Tanya ran into someone. Strong hands grabbed her to keep her from falling.

“Be careful,” she heard Max pleasant whisper.

He yanked her to her feet and immediately handed her the bouquet.

“What?” Tanya said, looking at the flowers in amazement. “But why? No, I'm certainly pleased and… Thanks! But, really, it wasn't worth it.”

Blond man only smiled and picked her up by the arm and led her away. After walking a couple of meters forward, he stopped near the car and opened the door, invited Tanya.  
“Get in,” he nodded toward the car.

“Why?” Tanya asked, clutching the bouquet a little too tightly in her hand.

“Let's go for a ride,” Max said, stepping away from the car and giving her a little push. “I let the driver go, so we'll take a ride ourselves. Sit down, don't be afraid.”

Looking into his eyes, she decided to trust him. “Maybe,” she thought as she slid near the driver's seat and placed the flowers on her lap, “I shouldn't be afraid. And maybe not for nothing. Who knows what drives this person: duty or feelings?”

“I'll just drop off some paperwork,” the German said, starting the car. “That won't take long.”

They turned into Budenovsky and drove up the avenue. Tanya began to guess where they were going but tried to push the thought away. 

“I never know,” she thought, looking at the transformed city, “where he wants to go. Maybe not the place where I think it will be. No, definitely not there. And why would he go... there?”

A couple of minutes later, the car stopped in front of exactly the same building as Tanya thought. The large letters ‘Hotel’ were faintly visible under the roof. The word ‘Rostov’ was almost invisible. But just above the entrance was a huge black sign that read ‘Soldatenhaus’.

Tanya feels cold, and the fear wash over her. That was exactly what she was afraid of.

Max reached into the backseat, fumbled around, pulled out a thick folder of papers, asked Tanya to wait for him for a few minutes, and left. The girl breathed a sigh of relief. 

“I shouldn't have been afraid,” she thought, looking at the hotel. “And why did I immediately think of this building? Casino… I guess he just needs to take the papers to his friend, who he didn't find during working hours... it'll be funny if the papers are about me. Although why it's about me? He can't know anything about me yet, because we've meet not that long time ago ... Oh, what a hard time. Trust, but check.”

When Max returned, the girl asked him to take her to an address.

“Why do you want to go there?” he asked, looking at her.

“I really need to.”

“Why?” he repeated. “Please be honest with me, and then I may be able to help you.”

“I wanted to ask you a favor. I don't know how to say it. Go there and you'll see for yourself.”

“Does this have anything to do with your family?”

“Yes.”

He nodded silently as he started the car.

When they stopped near the courtyard of house where Tanya used to live, both almost immediately got out. She noticed that some of their neighbors, whom she knew, were watching them from the yard, sitting on a bench under a tree. 

“There will be talks about us two,” the thought flashed immediately in her head. “Well, let it go. I don't care.”

After leading Max into the entrance and stopping at the front door, she briefly outlined the situation to him. Max, after listening to her, agreed to help. After thanking him in advance, she led him to her former apartment.

Riedel immediately went to the rooms, and Tanya, deciding not to disturb him, went to the kitchen. She found her mother there. She was filling out some paperwork from her job.

“Tanya?" the woman asked in surprise, seeing her daughter in the doorway. “What’s happening?”

“Mom, it's okay,” she smiled. “I came for a minute or two.”

“No, I don't understand,” she said, getting up from the table. “In the morning you came, sat for a couple of minutes and ran away. Tanya, what happened? Is something wrong?”

“I'm telling you, Mom,” the young woman had to pause for a couple of seconds because of Riedel's loud voice. “Everything is okay.”

“What's going on out there?” the woman wanted to go into the rooms, pushing her daughter aside, but she did not let her pass. “Tanya! Let me pass. Don't you hear me?”

“Mom, wait,” she said, spreading her arms and leaning against the door frame, blocking her path to the rooms. “Don't go there... yet.”

“What? Tanya, are you out of your mind? Go away!”

“Mom, listen to me! Everyone is there- ” 

There were dissatisfied voices and a scuffle from the rooms. A few seconds later, soldiers began to pass by the kitchen, glaring at the mother and daughter.

“What?” The woman took a step back. “Tanya, what's going on? You- you know what's going on, right?”

“Mom, trust me. Yes, I know. And please, let's not find out right now. Everyone will leave, and I'll tell you.”

The sound of many feet finally silent. Tanya, sighing, took her hands away and was about to invite her mother to sit down to tell her everything, when Max appeared in the kitchen.

“I'm done,” he nodded at her, and immediately saw her mother. “Good evening, frau.”

Startled, the woman retreated to the table, clutching the edge with her hand. Tanya, realizing that it's bad that her mom saw him and it would be better if he would wait for her on the courtyard asked him to wait for her outside. He had just turned and started for the door when his neighbors came out, eager to see him. They were not deterred even by the fact that a German in uniform was standing in front of them, they went into the corridor and looked into the kitchen.

“Natalia Ivanovna, what is going on here?” one of the neighbors, Svetlana, asked, turning to Tanya's mother. It was the one who now lived with her and her children. “Firstly your daughter... ah, here you are. Well, hello… What's it like for a mother to look into her eyes now after that, huh?”

Tanya's mother, frozen at the table, looked dumbfounded from her neighbor to her daughter. She just could not wrap her head around what had happened in the last couple of minutes.

“Tanya,” she whispered, sitting down on a chair.

“Mom, don't believe it,” the girl said. And, raising her voice, she added, turning to the neighbors: “And why did you come in? Who let you in at all- ”

“Shut your mouth!” another neighbor shouted. “Don't raise your voice to elders! Missis Zimina, have you seen with whom your daughter came?”

“Will you shut up!” shouted Tanya rushed to her mother and, crouching down in front of her, took her hands. “Mom, don't listen! You're living in your apartment again now. Not in one of my rooms, but in the whole apartment. You are the owner of your house again, mom! You are free to dispose of your rooms as you wish. You can even... evict this Svetlana!”

“What?!” Svetlana cried indignantly. “How dare you!” 

She ran to the table and, sitting down next to Natalya Ivanovna, continued her speech: “Have you know that your daughter and some German officer just arrived in a car, right? And she took that bastard here, too. Why are you hanging around your mother? Begging for forgiveness? Well, if I were your mother, I'd whip you so hard! Good lord, who would even think? In such a hard time… Everyone is in a war, but this one is in love. And with whom! Fascist, God lord! The real one! How dare you to- ”

“Shut up!” Tanya shouted, getting to her feet. “You are allowed to live in someone else's apartment for nothing, but you're also- What kind of person are you?”

“Just look at her!” the voice came from the entrance. Each of the neighbors wanted to contribute to the conversation. “She's shouting. Oh, you have no forgiveness!”

At that moment Natalya Ivanovna stood up in silence. Taking a step forward, she slapped Tanya hard in the face. She covered her burning cheek with her hand and looked at her mother with fear.

“Go away, go away now,” she whispered. Tanya knew that this whisper of hers did not bode nothing good. 

And after a couple of seconds, the woman switched to shouting: “My daughter did- Oh, it's a pity, my father is at the front. He would have punish you!”

“Mom!” the girl stammered, feeling like she was about to cry.

“Out! Get out of the apartment!” The woman shouted, pushing her toward the door. “Now.”

Tanya stopped in the hallway at the front door, hoping that her mother would relent, and they would talk calmly without unnecessary guests. But the woman continued to shout at her, encouraged by the approving exclamations of the neighbors, who peered out of the kitchen, not daring to come any closer.

“Get out!” She held the door open for her. “I don't want to see you again! You're not my daughter anymore!”

Tanya feels like she was doused with cold water from a bucket. She stared at her mother, trying to figure out if she was imagining it or not. But no, these words were spoken.

“Good night,” with a heavy sigh, the young woman slowly walked out of the apartment. For a long time, from behind the open door, she could hear her mother's indignant shouts and the shouts of the neighbors, who approved of her act and said that it could have been worse.

Quickly going down to the yard, Tanya walked to the car, where Max was already waiting for her, who managed to slip past her former neighbors. The boys from neighborhood were already hanging around the car, interested in it, but when they saw Tanya, they quickly retreated.

“Go home,” Tanya said, sitting down in her seat. “And as soon as possible.”

“Is everything so serious?” Max asked quietly as they drove away from the courtyard. Before that, he had not dared to speak to the girl, seeing her condition.  
She stared unseeingly at a single point on the road. 

“She said I am not her daughter anymore.”

“I'm sorry,” the guy said after a short silence. “I shouldn't have come in the kitchen:

“No, it's not your fault. It's all about the neighbors. If they hadn't come into the apartment and started egging her on, then everything would have been fine. We'd just talk. Well, that's fine. I'm- ”

“I think you should talk to her later. Maybe in a week or two. Trust me, she'll forgive you.”

“You don't know the history of my relationship with my mother. Everything was fine, but when the war started, and my father was taken away, she became insane.”

The car passed through the archway and stopped in the courtyard. Tanya went out and, thanking Max for everything, went to the entrance door.

“Wait!” came a voice from behind her. A couple of seconds later, the German ran up to her. “I'll walk you out.”

After letting Max go into the apartment, Tanya went to the kitchen. Pausing by the cupboard, she tried to remember why she had come here.

“Flowers!” She sighed as she finally remembered what she had forgotten when she saw the vase.

“What?” Riedel appeared in the corridor.

“I left the flowers in the car,” Tanya said, smiling faintly.

“I'll go get them,” Max said, heading straight for the door.

“Thank you,” Tanya said, and after a few seconds she added: “I'll just make some tea for us.”

Closing the front door behind him, but leaving it unlocked, she returned to the kitchen. The kettle began to boil quickly. After pouring the tea into the cups on the tray, she went with it into the living room. As she set the tray down on the tea table, she heard the door slam shut as Max returned.

Thanking him again, Tanya sent him to the living room, and she went to the kitchen to put flowers in a vase. Back in the living room, she set it on the windowsill and sat down next to Max.

“This is for you,” he said, nodding at the table. “I think you need it more today than I do.”

“Are you serious?” she whispered, looking at the chocolate bar.

He shrugged and took a sip from his cup. 

“They give it to us.”

“I'd never have thought you'd have chocolate in there.”

“And where is it 'in there'?” Max asked, grinning.

“In the SS.”

“What?” The man laughed softly. “No, I'm not in the SS. My brother is, but not me.”

“Where, then?”

“The Luftwaffe. I'm a pilot. The sky has always been my passion. Well, not always. Once I could not imagine my life without music. I got this from my mom. She graduated from the conservatory and wanted me to become a musician, too. But the father said that he would never allow his son be a musician. He wanted me to be like my brother. He wanted me to follow in his footsteps, join the Wehrmacht, and become like my brother, but I didn't want that at all. And then I was sent to the Luftwaffe as a candidate, where I had to take a basic military training course. Then he was transferred to the air combat school, after which he was sent to the 52nd Fighter Squadron on the Soviet-German front.”

“So,” Tanya asked when he had finished, “you got this craving for music from your mother?”

“Yes,” Max nodded. “You'd better tell me one thing. Do you have any other relatives?”

“A brother,” she said. She decided not to mention Uncle Michael. But she also did not give out the whole truth about her brother, who joined the partisans. “He's at the front now.”

Almost an hour later, Max left. At the end he promised Tanya that everything would be fine, and her mother would forgive her.

Tanya stood for a long time at the windowsill, looking at the pink, pleasant-smelling flowers. She was mentally piecing together everything that had happened that day. 

“Everything will be fine,” she thought, looking at the pale petals, “it's easy for him to say. I can't even imagine how I'll justify myself to her later. It's clear that I did it for good, but how do I explain it to her? I hope Uncle Michael will understand me. The main thing, after all, is what we do. The rest can wait. Probably. I hope that everything will be alright in time. Someday, I hope, very soon, everything will be the same again. I really hope so.”


	6. Lonely Souls

9th of April 1942

Tanya was shunned after what happened at her mother's house. People on the streets often shouted cursing words after her, calling her a "Germanized". She was afraid to walk the streets alone, she was afraid that people might just beat her.

Tanya understood that everything should go as it is. She understands that she should let them think that she has betrayed, that she has defected. Let them think what they want. The main thing is to keep the fact that she is with the Yugov's a secret. After all, if everyone knew that she had arranged all this for them, then nothing would come of it.

Running her hand down her skirt, she felt a crumpled piece of paper in her pocket — a note from her family. She found it by the door this morning. It was safe notice that Mrs. Mir had asked her to do is come to the ballet studio tonight. If someone else had found it, they would not have suspected anything. Only she knows that one of Yugov's people will be waiting for her in the dressing room.

Tanya looked around the bar. The Germans are having fun. Someone had brought them records of French songs, which were now played almost constantly. Tanya just wondered where they could get them.

The girl's eyes stopped on the piano standing alone. It had been a long time since she had seen Max. Joachim came by the day before yesterday, but not for long — he only found out how she was doing, and, citing a too many works to do, left. Tanya did not mind because she was a little uncomfortable talking to him. After all, he is from the Gestapo.

“Another beer on the table by the window,” the red-haired girl said, running to the counter.

This is Zoe. Tanya, realizing that she could not cope with so many visitors by herself, hired her to help her. Zoya is a good helper. Almost since the capture of Rostov, she had been courting the Germans, who liked her red curls.

After pouring beer into the mugs, Tanya handed her a tray, and she walked between the tables, swaying her hips and laughing loudly.

When everyone finally left the bar, Tanya packed up and hurried to the Kleinis Theater. She had to get there before curfew.

After greeting Mrs. Mir, Tanya hurried upstairs to the dressing rooms. There were five dressing rooms: three for women, two for men. Looking around in the hallway, she tried to figure out where she should go. After a couple of seconds, a distinctive cough came from the last room. Tanya hurried there.

“Uncle?!” She exclaimed when she saw the man standing at the window. Recovering herself, she whispered, “What are you doing here?”

"Sit down," he motioned her to sit in a chair near the mirror. Tanya, straightening her skirt, sat down on the edge, staring at her uncle. "It will be a serious conversation."

“Why did you come? Where is anyone else?”

“Shut up!” He shouted at her. “What was that?”

“What?”

“At your mother's house! What was that?”

“Uncle Michael,” she tried to say, but was interrupted.

“What, Uncle Michael?” he wanted to raise his voice, but he knew that this is impossible, so he had to "make noise" in a whisper. “Why do I hear a rumor that my niece is hanging out with a German? I mean, Tanya, I understand everything, but ...”

“Uncle Michael,” the girl sighed, “everything is fine. Can I explain everything?”

“Go on,” he settled himself on the windowsill and prepared to listen.

“I just asked him to help make them leave the apartment.”

“You asked your German pilot?”

“Yes,” she said, “but he's not mine.”

The man grinned but motioned for her to continue.

“He has a brother, he's from the Gestapo,” she said, not noticing as she began to nervously crumple the hem of her skirt on her knee. “They are very similar, and he uses it. Anyway, I asked him to impersonate his brother again and order those soldiers out of the apartment. And everything would have worked out if not for this… Svetlana. She broke in and ruined everything. She started telling my mom only God knows what lies, that I, as she said, drive around in expensive cars...”

“And Svetlana is that neighbor?”

“That's she is.” Tanya took a deep breath and continued. “And then Max came in after all. And the rest of the neighbors started egging her on… Well, the bottom line that I'm not her daughter anymore.”

“Well, Tanya, you've done a lot of mess,” the man lit a cigarette. “I'd talk to her, but I can't — you know why. But then, when it's all sorted out, I promise she'll forgive you.”

“I hope so.”

“But wait, you said ‘again’. Has he already impersonated his brother?”

“Yes,” Tanya said, looking away. “Remember, now I live in a friend's apartment--” her voice faltered, “on Engel’s street? There were soldiers there, too. And he kicked them out of the apartment. Then he said that this house was intended for SS officers, but the apartment is completely mine.”

“Ah,” he said, “there it is. And he didn't demand anything for it?”

“Uncle Michael!” she said indignantly.

“I just want to check, Tanya!” The man waved her away, leaving a trail of smoke from his cigarette in the air. “Your mother will twist my head off later.”

“She won't,” she assured him.

“So, who is this hero of yours? One in the Gestapo, and this one?”

“He's a pilot,” after a short silence, the girl replied. She did not want to tell him everything she knew about Max. “Uncle?”

“What do you want?” he nodded thoughtfully, looking somewhere through the girl.

“Promise me he'll be all right.”

“What?” he looked at her. His bushy brows drew together, it is a bad sign.

“We just made a deal with him — he supplies alcohol to the bar,” evading the correct answer, Tanya explained. She knew that was only part of the truth. “If anything happens to him, the bar will close. And if there is no bar — there is no information.”

“All right,” Uncle Michael scratched his prickly chin, “he'll be all right. Just keep in mind — if you hook up with him, I'll cut your head ahead of your mother. Do you understand me, Tanya?”

“I understand,” she said, nodding as convincingly as she could.

They sat in silence for a few minutes. The man, carefully examining the smoke released, was thinking about something deep. Tanya, smoothing her skirt on her knees with her palm, waited for him to say something more to her.

“So, what about the bar? What is it?” he finally asked.

“It's all right. Almost every day, the bar is completely full.”

“And?”

“Nothing important yet. Give me some time. Of course, I could not learn anything during the first week, they are not used to me yet. So far, the only people I've seen who can get information out of soldiers, but they don't have anything important. So we can only wait.”

“All right,” the man said, stubbing out his cigarette on the windowsill. “Now go on. I won't let you get been caught after curfew.”

Tanya, saying goodbye to him, hurried to the exit. It was about twenty minutes before the start of curfew, so she probably would not have made it home in time. She had to go as fast as she could, she told herself. “I have not ausweis yet, so I need to hurry up.”

She went out into the lighted Engels Street and, quickening her pace, went home. Adjusting the strap of her purse on her shoulder, she glanced at the watch on her wrist — it was only a few minutes away, and the house was still a few blocks away.

“Hey!” Someone called out to her from behind. Without stopping, Tanya turned around and saw it is Max. “Wait!”

She had to stop. “What does he want?” She thought, glancing quickly at her watch again. 

“I'll walk with you to your home,” he said, catching up with her and walking beside her. This was the second time she had seen him in uniform. The first time she had seen him like that was in the car in the first day of their meeting.

“But there's a curfew…”

“Don't worry, they'll pass you with me.”

As soon as they passed this block, they met a woman at the crossroads who was looking at Tanya unkindly. She recognized her as one of her mother's neighbors.

Passing by her, she said something displeased after Tanya, which made her involuntarily shudder and tighten her lips. The words lashed at the very sick man. “Keep calm, she told herself, you've got to keep calm. Don't fall for it. That's all she wants.”

“What did she say?” Max asked, turning around. The woman had already disappeared into an alley.

“You don't want to know,” she said, trying to smile.

Tanya noticed that when she went alone, the women boldly attacked her, mocking her. And now, seeing that Tanya was not alone, but with this “damned German”, she was in no hurry to mock her and shouted fearfully from a distance. Tanya realized that this was in her favor — the Russian women were afraid of the Germans like fire.

“Is it because of me?” 

Tanya did not answer him. 

“If it bothers you, I can... not to come.”

“No,” the girl sighed. “I'm used to it.”

“Can I talk to them? Or should I ask Joachim? He's the power here now.”

“No way!” she exclaimed, startled. “Don't do it. Let it be so. Someday they'll stop, they'll get tired of it.”

“Are you sure? Anyway, I'm always ready to help.”

They were approaching her house. A block from the house, they came across a patrol coming out. The soldiers patrolling the street checked Max's papers, spoke quietly to him, and wished him a pleasant evening, but let him pass.

“Do you have an ausweis?” the man asked as they moved away from the soldiers.

“Not yet. Are you sure I need it?”

“If you want to walk around the whole city free, then yes.”

They passed through the archway. Tanya, quickly looking around at all the lighted windows, said softly:

“Want to come in?”

“You're inviting me?”

“Yes,” she shrugged. “Or you can't? If anything, I don't insist—”

“No, let’s go,” he waved her to step forward.

They ran into one of the officers on the stairs. He passed them, lighting a cigarette, and greeted Max. Then he friendly waved a hand at Tanya.

“Are you alone?” The German asked as they entered the apartment.

“As you can see,” the girl replied with a smile, leaving her bag on the dresser.

“Sorry, I didn't put it in right way. Sometimes I find it difficult to express my thoughts. Do you live alone—”

“Do you want to ask if I have someone?” She paused in the aisle and gave him a sly look. He nodded. “I had a fiancé.”

“Is he in the army now?”

“No,” she said, trying to keep the tremor out of her voice. “He was shot during the first occupation.” 

Then she disappeared from further questioning in the kitchen.

Tanya quickly brewed tea and brought the cups into the living room. Max was waiting for her, his cap on the table next to the phone by the mirror.

“You asked me,” Tanya said, sitting down on the edge of the sofa, “if I have someone. Can I ask you the same question?”

“You can ask me anything you want,” Max said, pulling his cup and saucer toward him. “I had a fiancé too. I don't even remember her name anymore…”

“Did you so much fall in love?” Tanya chuckled.

“No, I didn't love her at all.” He met the woman's uncomprehending gaze. “My parents forced me to marry her. It was profitable for them, but not for me. Fortunately, she ran off with some SS officer, for which I am very grateful.”

They were silent for a couple of minutes. There was no conversation at all. Tanya was beginning to regret inviting him.

“Do you always come home this late from the bar?” Max said, breaking the long silence, setting down his cup.

“Yes,” Tanya looked at him. “It depends. If I can get everyone out, I can get home before curfew. If not, then ... I try not to get caught by the patrolmen.”

“Bold,” he chuckled. “You have no ausweis, and you walk the streets at the wrong time.”

“I have to,” the girl shrugged.

“Do you want a ride to home? I can ask Joachim and arrange it.”

“Do you always use your brother status?”

“Only when it's really necessary.”

“You've already done so much for me.”

“I can do more.”

Tanya's heart skipped a beat. She exhaled softly, looking into Max's bright, smiling eyes. She did not believe in the reality of the words he had said. 

“Is he sincere?” She thought, trying to find the slightest hint of a lie in his eyes. “Damn, I'm so used to being tricked and I looking for a lie everywhere. Why can't I believe that someone is being kind to me?”

Tanya did not know what to say to him. The right words did not come to mind. She felt lost looking into those blue eyes of the German. She felt that her thoughts were confused, making it difficult for her to concentrate.

Suddenly they were interrupted by a sudden but insistent knock on the door.

“Waiting for someone?” Max asked, nodding toward the hallway.

“No.”

Tanya stood up, straightened her skirt, and went to open the door. She heard footsteps behind her — Max was following her.

Quickly opening the lock, Tanya opened the door. A young boy in a uniform very similar to Max's was standing in the doorway, looking impatiently inside the apartment.

“Is Oberleutnant Riedel here?” the boy asked.

Max walked forward, blocking Tanya.

“Urgent call to headquarters,” the boy reported, before raising his hand in a party greeting. “The Major General wants you to report immediately for a mission.”

“All right, give me a minute.”

“The car is waiting for you at the archway.”

“Go ahead.”

Max closed the door and turned to face the woman. She looked a little startled, standing a step away from him.

“I'm sorry, I have to go.”

“It's night,” Tanya said.

“I'm from the Night Fighter squadron,” he said, a small smile tugging at his lips. "Sorry about that."

Tanya saw that he wanted to stretch out his hand to her, but almost immediately lowered it and, changing his face, hurried away. Rushing to the door, the woman jumped out on the landing and looked for Max. When she finally saw him in the stair, she called out:

“Good luck, Max!”

He shouted something in response, but the words merged into one sound, so that Tanya could not make out anything. Sighing, she stepped away from the railing and returned to the apartment.

She noticed Max's cap on the table in the living room. She picked it up, twirled it around, examining. She caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror out of the corner of her eye and looked at herself carefully, then at the cap she was still holding. She could not resist putting it on. When she saw herself in a Luftwaffe pilot's cap, she laughed without knowing why.

“I should give it back,” she thought, putting the cap back in its place. “Who knows when he'll remember about it? Although, the question is more likely to be correct: when will he return for it? He likes to disappear for a few days.”

Already going to bed, Tanya decided that tomorrow she is going to take his cap to Max. It would not be difficult for her to find out where their airfield was — everyone in this house already knew her, and she could ask here. If they did not tell her, she would go to Joachim, who would certainly tell her. Difficulties will arise when she tries to pass to the airfield. 

“Everything seems so easy,” Tanya thought, looking up at the ceiling, which was turning white in the dark. “Do I really have the courage to do all this?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [1] Ausweis - ID card (a card or badge showing the official identity of the wearer).


End file.
